Apparatus for transporting slivers



R. WILDBOLZ Aug. 27, 1963 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SLIVERS Filed April21, 1961 INVENTOR EuDoLFVV/L 0 BOL Z.

A TTO/PNEK United States Patent 3,101,835 APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTINGSLIVERS Rudolf Wildbolz, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to RieterMachine Works Ltd, Winterthur, Switzerland, a corporation of SwitzerlandFiled Apr. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 104,674 Claims priority, applicationSwitzerland Apr. 29, 196i) 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-160) The present inventionrelates to an apparatus for transporting slivers in spinning mills.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which avoidsdepositing slivers discharged by a processing machine in cans fortransporting the slivers to another machine for subsequent treatment.The apparatus according to the invention has a sliver receiving stationwhere the sliver is placed co-axially into a longitudinally slit endlesshose forming a conveyor belt, and a sliver dischanging station where thesliver is removed from the hose. The convey-or belt has a finlike baseportion extending longitudinally of the belt and two flaps extendingfrom said base portion to form a hose which is longitudinally splitalong a line which is diametrically opposed to said base portion. Thebase portion is on the inside of the endles conveyor belt loop and thehose opens, i.e. the flaps spread apart, if the belt travels around areversing roller of the conveyor so that the sliver may be received inor discharged from the hose. Opening the hose can be assisted by aroller resting on the opened hose opposite and parallel to the reversingroller. Opening of the hose can also be effected at parts of theconveyor other than the parts where the direction of movement of theconveyor belt is reversed, by providing a roller supporting the baseportion of the belt and a roller placed parallel and opposite to saidroller on the opened hose portion of the belt.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself,'however, and additional objects and advantages thereof will bestbe understood from the fcllowing description [of an embodiment thereofwhen read in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic illustration of a machinedischarging a sliver and of means for placing the sliver on a conveyoraccording to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the reversing parts ot theconveyor one of which is used for discharging a sliver from theconveyor.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, numeral 1 designates acarding machine including a sliver accumulator 3 as shown, for example,in copending application Serial No. 840,395, filed September 16, 1959,now Patent 3,029,477, for accumulating the sliver 2 produced by themachine 1 before discharging the sliver through delivery rollers 4 invertical direction onto an endless conveyor belt 6. The latter is madeof elastic material and has a longitudinal, narrow base portion 9whererfrom extend two substantially semicircular, longitudinal wallportions 10 and 11 tacing each other and forming a tube which islongitudinally split diametrically opposite said base portion. FIG. 1shows a short portion of the upper run and of the lower run of the belt6. A guide roller 8 is provided between the runs and has an annulargroove 7 corresponding to and receiving the base portion 9 of the belt6. A hose opening and sliver heeding roller is placed on top of thespread apart and flattened Wall portions 10 and 11 and opposite andparallel to the roller 8 for temporarily opening the hose and fordeviating and placing the sliver 2 substantially coaxially into "ice thehose ttormed by the Wall portions 10 and 11. For this purpose the sliverarriving in vertical direction from the delivery rollers 4 is placedbetween the roller 5 and the belt.

The direction of movement of the endless belt 6 is reversed by reversingrollers or pulleys 13 and 14 rotatably mounted on supports 12. Thesepulleys are provided with circumferential grooves for receiving the baseportion 9 of the belt. The conveyor belt is driven by a motor 15 througha transmission belt. A spreading and sliver discharging roller 17mounted on a shaft guided in vertical slots of a support 12 rests on thespread apart wall portions 10' and 11 of the belt 6 above and parallelto the roller 13. The roller 1'7 not only reliably opens the hoseforming part of the conveyor belt but also guides the sliver 2 whichruns between the conveyor belt and the roller 17 prior to beingdischarged from the conveyor belt.

The apparatus operates as follows: The sliver delivered at substantiallyconstant speed by the rollers 4 is deflected from the vertical to thehorizontal by the roller 5 and is placed onto the temporarily openedconveyor belt 6 whereupon the longitudinally split hoselike belt isclosed around the sliver due to the elasticity of the belt material.Upon reaching the reversal roller 13 the hoselike belt is once moretemporarily opened by the weight of the opening or spreading roller [17,permitting discharge of the sliver tirorn the belt.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variouschanges, modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims. It is not necessary todischarge the sliver at a reversing roller. A guide roller may bearranged opposite a discharging roller in the same manner as is theguide roller 8 placed opposite the feed roller 5, for discharging thesliver from the conveyor belt at any desired location along the conveyorbelt.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus ctor transporting slivers in spinning mills, havingreversing rollers, and an endless, hoselike, longitudinally slitconveyor belt forming a loop around said reversing roller: a guideroller placed on one side of said belt, a sliver feeding roller placedopposite said guide roller and forming :a nip therewith for receivingand temporarily holding said belt in flattened condition, said feedroller deviating a sliver arriving at an angle to said belt into thetravel direction of the belt and pressing the sliver onto said belt.

2. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein said guide rolleris placed at the inside of said loop and said feeding roller is placedat the outside of said loop, the rotation axes of said guide roller andof said feeding roller being parallel.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 1, a second guide roller placedon one side of said belt, and a sliver discharging roller placedopposite said second guide roller and forming a nip therewith forreceiving said belt in flattened condition and the sliver restingthereon and temporarily holding said belt in flattened condition forpermitting the sliver to leave said belt after passage through said nipformed by said second guide roller and said sliver discharging roller.

4. In an apparatus according to claim 3 and wherein said second guideroller is one of the belt reversing rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 796,295France Jan. 22, 1936

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING SILVERS IN SPINNING MILLS, HAVINGREVERSING ROLLERS, AN ENDLESS, HOSELIKE, LONGITUDINALLY SLIT CONVEYORBELT FORMING A LOOP AROUND SAID REVERSING ROLLER: A GUIDE ROLLER PLACEDON ONE SIDE OF SAID BELT, A SILVER FEEDING ROLLER PLACED OPPOSITE SAIDGUIDE ROLLER AND FORMING A NIP THEREWITH FOR RECEIVING AND TEMPORARILYHOLDING SAID BELT IN FLATTENED CONDITION, SAID FEED ROLLER DEVIATING ASILVER ARRIVING AT AN ANGLE TO SAID BELT INTO THE TRAVEL DIRECTION OFTHE BELT AND PRESSING THE SILVER ONTO SAID BELT.